To Turn Back Time
by Itachilova101
Summary: “In my travels I have met many a person that has been impacted by Uchiha Itachi’s wrong doings,” the sorceress told her. “I believe now is the time for the sins along with the sinner to be rectified.” ItaSaku EDITED
1. Time Travel

A/N: Yay! New story! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been working on this story and I have the first few chapters finished... I just wanna make sure I'll finish this story...

* * *

"Um, Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura called as she walked through the border of Konoha with the rest of Team 7.

"What?" asked Sasuke coolly.

"Well, I-I wanted to thank you for backing me up during the mission," she told him, blushing. "You really saved me there and, well, thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," he replied indifferently.

"Do you want to go to Ichiraku's with me?" she inquired. "To thank you for helping me. It'd be my treat, of course and…"

"I don't think so," he answered.

"Oh, uh, okay… maybe another time then?"

"I doubt it."

Sakura watched as Sasuke picked up his pace and left her where she stood.

"I'll go to Ichiraku's with you, Sakura-chan," Naruto told her. "Forget about that nasty Sasuke-teme and go with me!"

"No thanks, Naruto," she replied sadly. "I'm not very hungry." Sakura walked away sadly, trying to walk off her most recent rejection. She turned into a dark alleyway, mumbling, "Damn that Itachi… he didn't have to do this to everybody. I'd kill him if I had half the chance."

"Do you mean that, Child?" a voice asked from behind her.

She whirled around to see a middle-aged woman standing behind her. "W-Who are you?" asked Sakura, taking a step back in surprise. She hadn't even sensed her presence... had she been that out of it? She hadn't thought so.

"My name is of no importance," answered the stranger. "I am a traveling sorceress and I bid you no ill will. I will ask you again, did you mean what you just said, Child?"

Sakura let her statement roll around her mind a few times, contemplating just how much of her actually wanted to go through with that threat. "With every fibre of my being," she answered with a nod.

"Very well then," the sorceress said.

"E-Excuse me…?" Sakura asked. "What do you mean, 'very well then'? What do you want?"

"In my travels I have met many a person that has been impacted by Uchiha Itachi's wrong-doings," the sorceress told her, "I believe now is the time for the sins along with the sinner to be rectified."

Sakura's silence told the sorceress to continue.

"I have been thinking this plan through for a very long time," she carried on. "I have the gift of time travel and I wish to use it to send you back to before the Uchiha Massacre took place so that you may kill Uchiha Itachi and prevent any of these things from happening."

"I'm listening," Sakura said, her interest fully piqued.

"You will be sent back exactly a year-and-a-half before the Uchiha Massacre," the sorceress explained. "To keep any suspicion of you being a missing-nin off of you, you'll have temporary amnesia where you will only remember your name for precisely six months… upon retrieving your memories, you will kill him."

"Sounds pretty… unrealistic," Sakura commented suspiciously.

"I guarantee you my powers are far from unrealistic," the sorceress ensured her, "Will you give it a try and help this person you claim to love?"

Sakura sighed and nodded, not really believing that this could really happen.

"First, I need you to take off your headband and your weapons' pouches."

Sakura reluctantly did as told, knowing she could easily get the things back from the old lady if she had to.

"Great, farewell, Sakura," she said.

"How did you know my—" It was too late. Sakura was cast into unconsciousness with the wave of the old lady's hand.

* * *

A/N: X3 Any good for a first chapter?


	2. Awakening and Amnesia

A/N: Next chapter! Thanks so much for the awesome amount of reviews! You're all slammin'! And if you didn't review, you're reading chapter two, so you must like the story, so you're slammin' too! X3

* * *

When Sakura finally awoke, she was in a warm, comfy bed and she wondered if she'd overslept. All she remembered was a young voice hollering, "Aniki! Look! It's a girl and I think she's hurt!" and a pair of warm, protective arms wrapping around her. After that, everything was a bit hazy.

_I'm hurt? _she thought, finally catching on to what the young voice had said, _But I don't remember getting hurt._ As a matter of fact, she couldn't remember a thing... nothing, zip, nadda, absolutely nothing...

Then, she heard the door open and saw a little boy with spastic hair and big, onyx eyes peek his head through the small crack he'd made.

As soon as he realized he'd been caught, however, he ducked back out of the room, shut the door and his footsteps on the wood floor were heard. Then, the door opened again and that same little boy was seen, clinging to the arm of an older male, who looked a lot like this younger boy. While the younger boy's expression was curious with a hint of wariness, the older one seemed calm and natural, almost happy.

"Oh, you're awake," commented the elder male. "Nice to see you've rejoined the living."

"W-Where am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"You're in the Uchiha compound in Konohagakure," answered the man.

"Ko-no-ha," Sakura sounded out dumbly.

"Mm-hm."

The little boy tugged on the older boy's pant leg and looked up at him. The elder boy looked down at the boy and looked back at Sakura with a sort of half smile. "Where are my manners? My name is Uchiha Itachi, of the Uchiha clan. This is Uchiha Sasuke, my younger brother."

The newly named Sasuke snuck behind his elder brother, showing only his blushing face. So much for wanting to be introduced, but Sakura couldn't help but smile at the cute youngster.

"M-My name is Sakura," she introduced herself. "I-I must be a little confused, because that's all I can remember."

"Well, do you feel well enough to stand? We'll get some food into you and explain what we can to you if you'd like."

She sat up slowly and swung her legs over the side of the bed and set her bare feet on the hardwood floor. A shiver ran up her body at the feeling of her warm feet touching the cool floor and she took a few moments to get used to it.

She stood on her feet and felt her knees buckle underneath her. Before she was able to feel the impact of her body hitting the ground, however, she felt a pair of familiar arms catch her. She looked up into the worried gaze of Itachi, a blush on her cheeks.

"I'll take that as a no," he commented, setting her back into the bed and tucking her back in. "I'll get some food and bring it to you."

"That really isn't necessary," she told him. "I really shouldn't impose much longer than I already have and I'd hate to be a bother."

"Imposing? You're not imposing," he corrected her, "Mother is quite fond of having visitors, so she's going to want to keep you for a while. At least until you get better."

She reluctantly nodded and told him, "Then I'll do chores. I'll help out, get a job, I won't be a freeloader."

"Well, you have a fighting spirit," commented Itachi, walking off with Sasuke, "I admire that, especially in a wounded young lady. Mother will love this."

When the two males reached the kitchen, their mother looked at them with a smile and asked, "Any news?"

"Our visitor is awake," Itachi answered. "She's not well enough to stand, but I'm sure some food and rest will fix that."

"Well, what's her name?" asked the elder female, chopping leeks on a cutting board.

"It's Sakura," he told her. "She doesn't remember her last name at the moment. But I'm sure once she's in a little bit of a better shape, she'll know."

Their mother nodded. "Well, she must be hungry, why don't you take some of the food I already prepared and give it to her?"

Itachi nodded and started dishing some leeks, dango and other such foods onto a plate, grabbed some chopsticks and headed back to the guest room where Sakura was staying, Sasuke in tow.

"She's really cute," Sasuke commented with an excited smile. "Do you think so, Aniki?"

Itachi chuckled slightly, but didn't bother to answer the question.

* * *

A/N: Well, Sakura meets Itachi and mini-Sasuke-kun! I wonder what'll happen next O.O ... Wait, I know what'll happen next, I'm the author! n.n;


	3. Kiss

A/N: Yay, third chapter! X3 And what a turnout for reviewers! Thanks so much! XD

* * *

The next day, Sakura made yet another attempt to stand on her own. Naturally, she had Itachi stand beside her to catch her if she fell. She stood on her feet for about two seconds when her knees buckled under the weight they were being put under and she fell right into Itachi's outstretched arms. When she was set back on the bed, she went to try again, but Itachi pushed her back and held her shoulders to keep her down.

She stared into his seemingly endless eyes quizzically, wondering what on earth he thought he was doing.

"Don't overexert yourself," he told her, his voice barely over a whisper. "This is going to take time; rushing things won't do a thing to help you."

She nodded, a blush surfacing on her cheeks.

He released his hold on her just as they both heard Itachi's mother call his name. "Itachi-chan," she called. "Your father's home, he wants to talk to you."

He gave a final glance at Sakura and then took his leave.

Sakura stayed still, the feeling of Itachi's warm hands on her shoulders still lingering, her hands numb. When she finally sat up, she saw Sasuke appear in the doorway.

"Hi there," she greeted, smiling ever-so-slightly.

Sasuke took a step back and stared at his feet uncertainly.

"Don't worry," she told him with a warm smile. "Why don't you come in?"

"Kaa-san told me not to bother the guest," he mumbled, his face lightly flushed.

"Oh, well then, it's a good thing that you aren't bothering me," she replied. "Come on in, Sasuke-kun."

He looked up at her, his blush darkening a little. He reluctantly walked into the room and stood beside the bed.

"Sit," she said, patting the bed.

He did as told and sat down.

"Tou-san is home," he told her.

"Really?" asked Sakura. "Did he come home from work?"

He nodded, saying, "Aniki told me he works in the big building with the Uchiha clan insignia on it."

"Really?" She ignored the fact that she had no idea what he was talking about, glad to see that the little boy was warming up to her.

He nodded again.

"Sasuke-chan!" Sasuke's mother called. "Stop pestering our guest and come do your academy homework."

"I have to go now," Sasuke said, sounding disappointed as he slid off the bed. "Bye bye, Nee-san,"

"Bye, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied, feeling flattered at the thought of Sasuke calling her an elder sibling.

Then, Itachi walked back into the room, watching Sasuke leave with his eyes.

"Is everything alright, Itachi-san?" Sakura asked, noticing how pale the elder Uchiha son looked. "Do you feel sick?"

"No," he answered. "Every thing's fine... just some father-son differences. It's no big deal."

She nodded, willing to drop the subject for him, knowing he didn't want to talk about it.

"Have you begun to remember anything yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

She shook her head in the negative, answering, "I can only remember that my name is Sakura. I-It's hard to concentrate for a long time. Whenever I remember something, I can't get a good grasp on it long enough to actually decipher what it means."

He nodded and told her, "We just need to be patient; the memories will come back when they're ready."

She sighed and told him, "It's frustrating, not knowing anything about myself... I want to know what I was like, where I've been, where I've wanted to be. It's just so frustrating!" Sakura swiped at the tears that were welling in her eyes and let out a wavering sigh.

She felt Itachi stroke her hair comfortingly, trying to calm her. It was working. "I have an idea," Itachi told her. "When you're able to stand and walk, why don't I take you around the village?"

She nodded, a smile creeping on her face. "I'd like that."

He smiled, too. "Then, when you're better, we'll go."

She tried to stand again, not caring about the impending consequences. This was a real incentive to standing. She was able to stand, but when she shifted her weight to one foot and lifted the other foot to take a step forward, she fell and Itachi caught her... again.

"Well, looks like you're getting a little better," he commented, laying her on the bed.

She nodded again and, instead of giving up for the time being like she'd done all the other times, she got back up and tried again. Itachi just watched and was ready to catch her if he needed to. She was able to take a step and then fell again. She tried a few more times with the same result and found herself panting afterward.

Itachi tucked her into the bed and whispered, "Why don't you get some rest and we'll try again another time?" She nodded, blushing once again.

He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead and left her to rest.

She closed her eyes, but didn't sleep. Her nerves were going crazy, replaying that innocent kiss in her mind. Had he done it to make sure she'd stay in bed or was there another reason? Was he teasing her? No, he didn't seem like the type to tease people, especially not with kisses.

So then, why did he kiss her? She quickly dismissed the whys and just enjoyed the lingering pressure on her forehead where his lips had once been.

* * *

A/N: Sasuke-kun can be sooooo cute! X3


	4. Hell

A/N: X3 Thank you so much to everybody who has reviewed, favorited my story and alerted! Oh, and to the person the c2'd the story, thank you so much! XDDD

* * *

"Sakura-nee-san!" Sasuke called happily, a few days after the kiss.

Sakura awoke to see Sasuke practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "What's up?" she asked drowsily, her eyes half-lidded.

"There are people coming to talk to you!" Sasuke exclaimed happily. "Mother said that they think they may know where you're from! Isn't it so exciting, Sakura-nee-san?"

"Sasuke," Itachi called strictly, looking angry. "Leave her alone."

Sakura's excited smile fell at the sight of how angry Itachi looked. Something was wrong and she had a feeling it had nothing to do with Sasuke's waking her up to tell her this "wonderful" news. Sasuke left reluctantly and gave a wave to Sakura as he disappeared from the doorway.

"I-Itachi-san," she whispered. "What's going on? Who's coming to see me?"

"ANBU," he answered, clenching his fists. "Father insisted on telling the ANBU corps of your sudden appearance and they're worried."

"They're worried about me?" she inquired. "Why? I'm sure I'll get my memories back sooner or later."

"That's the thing, Sakura-san," he replied, his voice barely a whisper. "They're not worried about you, they're worried of who you might be. They think you're a missing-nin or a spy from another village. They're afraid that you might be lying about your identity and that you're trying to sneak information out of the village."

"Itachi," his father called from the doorway. "Get out of the room. The ANBU along with Morino-san will be here any minute and I do not want you in their way."

"Ibiki's coming, as well?" Itachi asked, sounding exasperated. "He'll drive her nutty with his mind games!"

"That's none of your concern," his father growled. "Now, leave. You've got missions."

Itachi stormed out of the room just in time for a group of masked men and one badly scarred man to enter the room.

"Hello, Sakura-san," the scarred man greeted her, looking very professional despite his hell-raiser appearance. "My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm head of interrogations here in Konoha."

"H-Hi," Sakura stammered, trying not to show her fear.

"Fugaku!" cried Itachi's mother. "You can't let them do this!"

"Quiet, Mikoto," Fugaku commanded. "This is for the safety of the village."

"She means us no harm!"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you two to leave," one of the masked men, the one with silver hair, stated, escorting the couple out of the room.

"Now then, Sakura-san," Ibiki said. "You're going to have to come with us."

"I-I can't walk," Sakura replied, her hands shaking ever-so-slightly.

Ibiki snapped his fingers and a kind-looking lady wheeled a wheelchair into the room and one of the masked men, once again the silver-haired one, set her into the wheelchair.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking up to Ibiki.

Ibiki smirked devilishly as he answered, "To Hell, Sakura-san... to Hell."

Her eyes widened and she watched Itachi struggle against the masked men, trying to get to Sakura.

"Sakura!" he yelled, fighting against the men. "Sakura, it's going to be okay! If you cooperate, they won't do anything to you! Just tell them the truth! I know you're not a spy or a missing-nin!"

"Get out of here!" yelled one of the masked men, pushing Itachi out of the room while the lady wheeled her out of the house.

"Nee-san!" cried Sasuke, smiling, totally oblivious to everything that was going on. "Good luck and have fun! Don't be too long or you'll be late for dinnertime!"

Sakura smiled half-heartedly and nodded, not wanting to worry the child.

"Get Hiashi over here," Ibiki commanded, walking beside Sakura. "He'll tell us just how much chakra control she has."

_Chakra? _Sakura thought, confused, _What on Earth is chakra? _

They reached a large building where they went inside. "This is the tower where we do all the interrogations," Ibiki told her, watching ahead of himself with that same smirk. "But I just call it Hell and pretty soon you'll know why."

Sakura bit her lower lip as she reached a room with a large door. One of the masked men—this time not the silver-haired one—opened the door and she was taken inside. The masked men stayed out and the lady left the room when she brought Sakura inside.

There was a tall man in a white robe inside the room. His face was emotionless, but what frightened Sakura was the color of his eyes: off-white and pupil-less. How could he see without pupils?

"Hello, Hiashi-san," Ibiki greeted, bowing to the man. "How is your young daughter doing?"

"Hello, Morino-san," replied Hiashi, bowing as well. "She is well, but not quite what it takes to take on the Hyuuga household."

"Pity," Ibiki said amiably, "Well, we have a young girl here," Ibiki told him. "The Uchiha siblings found her and she claims to remember nothing but her name. I want you to use your Byakugan to see how well-developed her chakra network is."

The man named Hiashi closed his eyes and when he opened them, the veins around his eyes were bulging and he stared at her... no, he stared _through_ her.

"Her chakra veins are well developed," Hiashi commented. "She has a great amount of chakra... it very much resembles that of Tsunade-sama's. Do you think she might've taken an apprentice?"

"Impossible," Ibiki answered. "She's already taken on Shizune-san. She won't take on some kid that appeared from nowhere."

Hiashi's veins returned to their previous form and he stopped staring at her. "Then, what shall we do?"

Ibiki looked to be thinking for a moment, and then he looked to Hiashi. "I have a plan," he told him. "Use your Byakugan to tell if she's lying or not while I ask her some questions. That will clear all of this up."

Hiashi nodded and his veins bulged again.

"Sakura-san, we're going to ask you a few questions and I want you to answer in a yes or no format, is that alright?"

Sakura nodded.

"Is your name Sakura?"

"Yes."

"Did Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke find you?"

"Yes."

"Do you have amnesia?"

"Yes."

"Are you a missing-nin?"

"I don't know what that is."

"Please answer in a yes or no."

She thought a moment, wondering which would answer would appease the men the most. "No."

"Are you a spy?"

"No."

The questions continued for what seemed like hours and it probably had been hours.

Ibiki looked to Hiashi and he nodded. "Either she is a very well-practised liar or she's telling the truth, but I would gamble the perfect heir of the Hyuuga estate on the latter."

Ibiki nodded, and then looked at Sakura with a smile that actually didn't look evil. "Congratulations, Sakura-san, you passed the test."

She smiled in relief and mental exhaustion and shook Ibiki's hand. "You had me worried," she confessed. "From how Itachi-san and Mikoto-san looked, they seemed to think you were a bad person."

"Not bad, Sakura-san," he corrected, "Intolerant. I know when I need to go full-force interrogating somebody and I know when I don't need to. I didn't need to this time, but I brought the ANBU to make you a little frightened... just to be safe."

She smiled up at Ibiki who no longer looked so scary and sat back in the wheelchair, now finding the seat a bit more comfortable.

The lady that had wheeled her into the room came back inside and brought her back to the Uchiha compound where Itachi was waiting, his hair dishevelled and his eyes tired looking. He had obviously been fretting these passed hours. It brought a smile to Sakura's lips.

He ran to the lady and Sakura, a look of relief on his face. "I can take her, Mayu-san," he told the lady. He helped Sakura out of the wheelchair and carried her back into the compound. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding her bridal-style as he walked.

She nodded, telling him, "It was okay." She told him all about Ibiki and the pupil-less man that was named Hiashi.

When they made it to the house, Mikoto and Sasuke were waiting for them.

Sasuke ran over to his brother and their guest and, once Sakura was put down (of course Itachi was holding most of her weight), hugged Sakura who hugged him back. Mikoto smiled and hugged her, too.

"So, I take it everything went well?" asked Fugaku, walking out of the house.

Itachi nodded.

"I got to see the village," Sakura told Itachi, smiling at him.

He told her, "I'll show you the rest of the village another day." Sakura noticed Itachi and Fugaku exchange glares before Itachi took her inside and to her room where he laid her down. "I'm glad every thing's fine," he told her.

"Me, too."

"And they didn't hurt you?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"They didn't touch me," she answered.

"Good," he replied. "Now, you must be exhausted, get some more sleep and I'll bring in something for you to eat later."

She nodded and shut her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

A/N: Phew, good thing everything's fine! X3


	5. Sakura's Saviour

A/N: Sorry for the craptastic chapter... n.n; This one, I think, will make up for it! I really like this chapter and I think you'll see why... X3

* * *

When she woke up again, she looked at the clock beside her to see that it was well past noon.

She sat up, determined to walk this time. Like she'd done many times before, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. She readied herself to push herself up and did so after a count of three. She stood for a second and then took a step. She fell.

Instead of Itachi being there to catch her and put her back to bed, this time she hit the floor with a hollow thud. She bit back a cry in frustration and pain and forced herself up, leaning on the bed for support. She released her hold on the bed and stood again. She took a step, and then another, and then another. She continued taking the slow steps, smiling in pride and satisfaction.

Itachi came into the doorway, a look of worry on his face. "Are you alright, Sakura-san? I heard a thud and..." Then, he noticed her baby-like steps and he smiled.

"Itachi-san," she said, walking toward him, her arms outstretched, "I can walk, Itachi-san!" Then, just before she made it to him, she tripped over her own feet and fell into Itachi's arms. She giggled and hugged Itachi who hugged back.

"Do you feel well enough to walk into the kitchen?" Itachi asked, setting her back onto her feet. "I'm sure everybody would love to see you up and about."

She nodded and started to take her steps once again. Itachi followed her, making sure to be ready to catch her if her legs gave out. She made it right to the doorway to the kitchen when she gave out and fell, Itachi there to catch her.

"Sakura-san!" exclaimed Mikoto, sounding shocked. "Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded happily. "I walked all the way here!"

Sasuke shouted out a cheer and Mikoto gave an approving glance while she told Sakura that she'd done a good job. Itachi helped her walk to the table and sat down beside her. Sakura could see from the corner of her eye that Mikoto had an eye on her and she was smirking quite devilishly. It made her feel sort of uneasy.

"It's great to see you up and about," Itachi told her. "It's been almost a week; I'm surprised it took so long for you to get better."

"Well, she had been unconscious for about a week," Mikoto stated. "All that time without food or water could really take a toll on a person. Not to mention her amnesia could have had a part in it."

Itachi nodded in agreement. "True enough."

"Does this mean you'll take me around the village?" Sakura changed the subject excitedly.

Itachi chuckled and answered, "Maybe tomorrow. This must've been a long day, what with Ibiki-san coming for you and you getting the strength in your legs back."

Sakura pouted for a few moments but forgot all about it when Sasuke said that he was going on a field trip to Hokage tower. "Hokage tower?" asked Sakura. "What's that?"

"Hokage is the greatest shinobi in the village," Itachi answered. "And Hokage tower is where his offices are."

"I can't wait!" exclaimed Sasuke. "We're leaving tomorrow at six AM and we'll be back by about noon!"

"I know!" Sakura exclaimed, nearly making Itachi fall out of his chair in surprise, "I'll walk Sasuke-kun to this Hokage tower and I'll pick him up, too!"

"But you don't know your way back," Mikoto replied. "Not to mention all those shady characters out and about these days. You could get mugged."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Sakura said. "I mean, what are the chances of me being mugged when there are so many shinobi around?"

"Do you know what shinobi are?" asked Itachi, smirking ever-so-slightly.

"No idea," answered Sakura, smiling sheepishly, "But I'm guessing they're good guys?"

He chuckled and told Mikoto, "She has a point... the village is crawling with shinobi these days, if she gets attacked, at least one of them should help her. Unfortunately, Father is making me do extra training tomorrow, so I won't be able to be with her, but somebody will."

Mikoto nodded reluctantly, dropping the subject.

"I'll be fine, I know it," Sakura stated.

"God, I'm stupid," Sakura whispered to herself as she walked through the hustling-and-bustling village all by her lonesome, totally and completely lost. "I could've sworn Sasuke-kun and I came from this way." There she was, in a short, pink skirt and a low cut pink shirt, looking like she couldn't find her nose if she tried.

"Lost, little lady?" a male voice asked from behind her, hoping to find somebody she would be able to recognize as a shinobi.

"Yeah," she answered, turning to see a group of men that seemed to have a thug-like appearance.

_These must be those shady characters Mikoto-san was talking about, _she thought, taking a step back.

"Come with us, we'll show you the way," one of the men said.

Ignoring her first thought, she decided they must not be all bad if they were deciding to help her and she nodded, following the group in another direction.

It took about five minutes for her to realize she hadn't told them her destination and she didn't fail to point that out. The men looked at one another, and then looked at her, a devious smirk adorning each of their faces.

She didn't like those looks... not one bit.

She took a step back to get out of there and find another way to get home, but one of the men lunged at her and she turned and ran away as fast as she could, which wasn't fast since she'd just learned to walk the day before.

It was easy for the men to catch up to her and force her to the ground. She tried to fight back but her already weak muscles were beginning to give out and she found herself powerless to stop whatever it was they were planning to do to her.

"Don't you think you should pick on somebody your own size?" an indifferent voice asked from somewhere behind Sakura, where she couldn't see him.

"H-Hatake-san," stammered one of the men. "We were just—"

"Ganging up on Sakura-san," this Hatake person cut-in, "Who can barely even walk let alone defend herself?"

"W-We didn't know," another one of the thugs replied. "We thought she was just some girl and..."

"And that makes it alright?" Hatake's voice became harsh and threatening.

"C-C'mon, Guys," another of the guys stammered, getting to his feet with his friends and running off. "Let's get outta here!"

Sakura sat up with a little bit of difficulty, her body quacking out of both fear and fatigue. _I never should've gotten out of bed today._

The man she assumed was Hatake walked up to her and crouched beside her. "You're okay, Sakura-san, those idiots won't be bothering you or anybody else for a while." This Hatake person seemed like he would be handsome. He had seemingly untameable silver hair held up to seem gravity-defying by a headband thing she'd seen Itachi wear once in a while. His face was covered from below the eyes down to his collar bone by a mask of fabric and the odd headband covered one eye, the other eye a deep black colour.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, still shaking like mad.

"I'm comrades with Itachi-san," answered Hatake. "Oh, and I was one of the ANBU that was with Ibiki when they took you from the Uchiha residence. The name's Hatake Kakashi."

"Well, Hatake-san—"

"You can just call me Kakashi, Sakura."

"Kakashi," she tested out the name without the title and found that she very much liked it. "Thank you so much for helping me."

He nodded. "Now, let's get you back to Mikoto-chan before she worries that pretty little head off." He scooped Sakura up in his arms and carried her toward the Uchiha compound.

_Maybe coming out today wasn't such a bad idea... _she thought, looking up into the one visible eye that belonged to her saviour.

* * *

A/N: X3 I put in two little bits of foreshadowing, one is obvious and one not-so-obvious... now, you're homework is to see if you can tell what those two are! Yes, it will, in fact, be on the test. XP


	6. Itachi's Hatred

A/N: Well, some of you got the whole foreshadowing thing right and I give you cookies for that! X3 If you didn't get it right, well, I give you cookies, too, because I'm just that nice!

* * *

"Sakura-san!" exclaimed Mikoto, nearly dropping the glass she'd been drying when she noticed Sakura in the arms of an ANBU. "What on earth happened?"

"She was attacked," answered Kakashi.

This time, she really did drop the glass. It fell to the floor, shattering with a loud crash. The Uchiha mother ran to Sakura and looked her over for any injuries. "You've got a bruise on your leg," she commented, examining it with a brush of her fingers. "Does it hurt badly?"

"No, I didn't even know it was there," answered Sakura. "I'm just glad Kakashi intervened when he did."

Mikoto looked up at Kakashi as if he was the coolest man on earth. "You did that? How noble of you!"

"It's no problem," replied Kakashi, looking a little flustered under his mask. "It's the least I could do for _your_ guest."

"Would you mind bringing her to her room?" she asked. "I'm sure you know the way through the hallway with the bedrooms."

"How could I forget?"

Sakura couldn't help but notice the embarrassed blush on Mikoto's cheeks as Kakashi took her away and brought her to her room. He tucked her in, patted her on the head as though she was a child and left the room, shutting the door behind himself.

_I bet he's really cute under that mask... _she thought, closing her eyes to rest a bit. _Strong, too... I guess going out wasn't such a bad idea, after all._

"Sakura-san...?"

"Mmm?" mumbled Sakura in her sleep.

"Sakura, wake up."

She cracked an eye open and asked, "Hm?"

"I just got back from my mission," answered Itachi. "Kaa-san told me about what happened. Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I was helped out, just like you said somebody would."

"By Kakashi," he added.

She nodded again. She saw his hands, which had been on the bed, clench and she looked at Itachi in worry. "Is something wrong?" she inquired, her brow furrowed.

He shook his head, unclenching his fists slightly."Every thing's fine, Sakura." Then his look warmed, although the anger was still in his eyes, as he said, "I wanted to know if you wanted to go for that walk I promised you?"

She nodded happily and sat up quickly. She got to her feet shakily and walked to the closet where Mikoto had put all her hand-me-downs for her. She took out an outfit and looked at Itachi expectantly.

"Oh..." he finally said and rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind himself.

She shook her head in amusement and got dressed into a white kimono with pale pink sakura petals at the bottom that seemed to be blowing in an unseeable wind. She took a pair of sandals that complimented the outfit and met Itachi in the hallway.

"So, who is this Kakashi person?" she asked as she walked with Itachi out of the house, saying a quick goodbye to Mikoto.

When they made it out of the compound, Sakura looked around timidly for those thugs she'd run into before.

"Kakashi and I dealt with them," Itachi told her as if he'd been reading her mind.

"Huh? You did?"

"Yeah, I know those guys," he answered. "They're a bunch of pushovers that make it a habit of taking advantage of young girls that can't defend themselves—not that you're defenceless or anything, it's just—"

"It's okay, Itachi-san," she cut-in with a warm smile. "I understand what you mean." _He seems flustered, _she thought. _But what does he have to be flustered about? _She didn't care. She was just flattered to see that he cared that she knew how he thought of her.

The walk through the village was quiet for the first few moments until they saw a group of young girls sporting skanky outfits and far too much make-up start walking up toward them.

Itachi made a small groan, just loud enough for Sakura to hear and she looked to him in confusion. "Gotta hate some girls sometimes," he commented, as if reading her mind again.

She smiled in understanding. It was obvious that, with his gorgeous looks, he was bound to have hormone-raging girls chasing after him day-after-day.

She was thrust out of her thoughts by Itachi taking her hand and whispering in her ear, "Play along."

She nodded, not exactly sure what he meant, but let him lead her through the street.

"Itachi-kun!" sing-songed one of the girls.

"Why are you with that girl?" asked one of the other girls, smearing on another layer of cherry red lipstick. "Why don't you hang out with us? You know you want to!"

"No thanks, Ladies," answered Itachi, not relinquishing Sakura's hand for a second, "I'd rather stay with Sakura-san."

"Why stay with _her_?" yet another girl questioned. "Her forehead is so freakishly large and..."

Sakura's eye twitched only once and she held Itachi's hand a little tighter. She turned to Itachi, a look of devilish intent all over her face. Itachi only looked slightly afraid for his well-being. She smashed her mouth to his and wrapped her arms around his neck and, once Itachi got over his shock, he wrapped his own arms around her waist. When their lips parted, they turned to see that every girl that had been there was now out of sight.

Her brow furrowed and she asked, "Why did I do that?"

"I don't know," he answered, his face a light shade of red.

"When that girl said that, I could just feel my blood boil and I acted on my first impulse."

He smirked, and said, "Perhaps it's a sore subject for you. Maybe you're getting your memories back?"

She shrugged, and then noticed her arms still around his neck and his still around her waist. She released her hold on him and he did the same. The two stood with their backs toward one another, trying to get rid of the awkwardness in the silence.

Then, Sakura noticed Kakashi walking by, reading some orange book and she sighed in relief. She was saved! "Oh, hi, Kakashi!" she greeted, waving a hand over her head excitedly.

"Hm?" grunted Kakashi, looking up from his book. "Oh, hi there, Sakura, how's the leg doing?" She didn't like the look in his eye... As if he was talking to a child.

"Better," she answered. Actually, she'd forgotten about it.

"Actually, I was heading into the compound to see Mikoto-chan," he commented. "Will you be heading there, as well?"

"Well, we were—"

"Just heading home," Itachi cut-in, his voice harsh.

Sakura looked at him quizzically, looking for an explanation for his rude tone of voice and how disgusted he looked while he stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi's one eye seemed to glare back until it curved to show that he was smiling. "Alright then, why don't we walk together?"

Sakura nodded, trying to smile, despite the tenseness in the air. Kakashi took the lead and Itachi and Sakura took up the rear.

"What's wrong, Itachi-san?" she whispered to Itachi, knowing Kakashi wasn't paying attention because of his casual whistling.

"I'll tell you later," he whispered back, not looking at her, only glaring holes into Kakashi's back.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, cliffie! X3


	7. Kakashi's Secret

A/N: Hiya! This is the next chapter (obviously) and it has the big secret in it! Excitied? You'd better be! X3

_

* * *

This is even worse than before... _she thought, walking alongside Itachi. _Why did I have to talk to Kakashi?_

She sighed, feeling tears well in her eyes. Not only was Itachi not talking to her because she had spoken to Kakashi, but she didn't realize just what was so bad about it...

Itachi finally looked at her through the corner of his eye as they entered the compound, but he went back to looking forward again, sending another emotional dagger into Sakura's heart. When they made it into the house, Mikoto looked at Kakashi, then at a very peeved Itachi and a very sad Sakura.

"Did something happen?" she asked, quickly walking to Sakura and taking her in her arms. "Is everything alright, Dear?" Not being able to control her tears any longer, Sakura cried in Mikoto's chest while she stroked her short, pink hair. "Oh my," Mikoto said. "What happened while you were out?"

"I don't know," answered Kakashi, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. "Everything seemed fine when I came across the two."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Sakura-san in private," Itachi stated, looking at the floor, a look of anger on his usually calm face.

Sakura looked at Itachi, fresh tears welling in her eyes. What did he want to talk to her about? Was he going to yell at her for messing up his day? Maybe he was going to tell her to leave and never come back?

She sighed and walked with Itachi out of the room and into his bedroom where he shut the door. He sat on the bed and patted the area beside himself for her to sit.

She sat down and sniffled ever-so-slightly. "I-If you're mad, you can yell at me if you want to. Please, I really didn't know you hated Kakashi so much, and..."

Sakura watched his angered look soften and she almost felt a little reassured... almost... "I'm not going to yell at you," he replied. "What I am going to do, is tell you why I hate Kakashi so much." She looked at Itachi in puzzlement and he clenched his fists on his knees. "I realize you have a crush on him," he told her. "But a relationship between the two of you could never last."

"How do you know?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. Having a crush on Kakashi was an obvious thing, he'd saved her life! He was the equivalent of those knights in shining armour on a white steed that everybody always saw in fairy tales.

"Kakashi is... he's taken," Itachi told her.

"You mean, he's married?"

"Well, no, not exactly."

"Then, he's dating somebody?"

"Technically speaking, no."

"Then, how is he taken?"

He sighed and answered, "He is in love with my mother."

"H-He's... what?" Sakura asked, her voice a whisper. "But she's married."

"My mother is having an affair on my father with Kakashi."

Sakura was speechless... Mikoto seemed so nice, so honest, how could she be having an affair with another man?

"It's forbidden for an Uchiha to marry outside of the clan," Itachi explained. "Almost all Uchihas are betrothed at birth or soon after... and I can understand Mother not loving father, he's not exactly easy to deal with, but how could she lie through her teeth every day?"

Sakura nodded in understanding. "How did you find out?"

"Kakashi would often come over because he's on ANBU and father wants me to become ANBU and he acted really nice to Sasuke and I, almost fatherly. He always brought Sasuke new weapon sets and always brought something for me. Then, I caught the two in bed. The relationship between Kakashi and I has never been the same."

"I see," was all Sakura could say.

Itachi took Sakura in his arms and held her close. "Just so you to know... I'm not betrothed... father has not chosen a suitable lady for me to court yet."

_W-Why is he telling me this...? _Sakura thought, holding him back lightly once she got over her surprise.

She remembered how Kakashi had looked at her when he'd saved her. He'd looked at her for what she was: a child... Itachi had never looked at her like that... never...

One last tear fell down her cheek as she shut her eyes and held Itachi tighter.

* * *

A/N: ItaSaku-ness! X3


	8. A Lesson in Trust

A/N: Next chapter! Well, now that the main twist is out there (the child of my over-dramatic imagination), it's time for ItaSaku-ness! X3

* * *

A few days later, when Sakura awoke, she headed into the kitchen where Mikoto was doing chores, as usual. She could barely look at the elder female the same, but suppressed her rude mental comments.

"Oh, good morning, Sakura-san," greeted Mikoto, smiling at her kindly. She smiled back and nodded in response, her hesitance slowly disappearing "Itachi-chan asked me to tell you to meet him at the lake behind the house when you woke up."

"Oh, okay," she replied, standing up to go get some clothes on and meet Itachi.

She quickly changed into a pair of faded jean shorts and a navy blue tank top, putting on a pair of flip-flops. She walked out of the house and down the dirt trail that lead to the dock, enjoying the light breeze that came to meet her, pushing her hair off her shoulders to flow gently behind her.

When she reached the dock, she saw Itachi sitting on the edge, dipping his bare feet into the water. "Been here long?" she asked, sitting beside him and taking off her flip-flops to dip her feet in the water, as well.

"I didn't know you were awake," he commented, not answering her question.

"Mikoto-san told me you were waiting for me."

"She did?" asked Itachi, furrowing his brow.

She nodded in confirmation.

"Great," Itachi grumbled softly, lowering his head.

"Do you not want me here?" she asked, feeling hurt by his reaction.

"Oh, no," he answered quickly. "I didn't mean it that way... i-it's just... well, isn't it obvious?"

"If it is, I'm not very good at catching hints."

"Mother is trying to set you and me up together," Itachi told her. "She did this with Sasuke when he had a crush on a girl, made little ways of having the two meet up, chat and fall for each other eventually. He's six years old now and you can't imagine how many times she's attempted things like this with me. This is the first time she's ever gone so far to try anything so obvious, though. She must be desperate."

"Oh," was all Sakura could think to reply with.

"She's a hopeless romantic through and through," he added.

She smiled sadly and said, "I wish I knew if I was a hopeless romantic."

"It's been only a month or so," Itachi replied. "This'll take time."

She nodded in agreement, still wishing she knew of her past.

"Well, since you're here, I might as well show you what I'd wanted to later today."

"What?" she asked, her brow furrowing this time. "What is it?"

He stood and placed two of his fingers from his right hand into the water. After a few moments, he took them out and ran his hand over the surface of the water. He nodded in satisfaction and took Sakura's hand. "You trust me, don't you?" he asked her.

"Of course I trust you," she answered.

"No, do you _really_ trust me?"

"I _really _trust you," she answered.

"With your life?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered again. "Where are we going with this?"

"Step onto the water," he commanded, taking a step to the side so she could get to the edge of the dock.

"But... it's not possible to walk on water."

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you."

"Then, step onto it. If you trust me, you'll step onto the water."

Sakura nodded and walked slowly to the edge of the dock, feeling Itachi's eyes follow her. She took step onto the water and felt as though she was just standing on a wet floor. She set her other foot onto the water and found she was actually standing on water. "How did you...?"

He did the same as she was and walked across the water until he was at the middle of the lake. "This lake is sixteen meters deep, Sakura. I've put chakra over the surface of the water... I guess you really do trust me."

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged and walked back toward her, a certain look in his eye with a meaning she couldn't quite decipher. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him.

"What are you...?" She seemed unable to finish her questions today.

He pulled her closer to him and placed his hands on her thin waist. She could feel her hands shaking and her mouth going dry.

He lightly placed his lips on hers in a very light kiss, as if to see what she would do. All she was able to do was kiss back with equal lightness. He deepened the kiss and she submitted to it.

At the moment their lips met in that kiss, everything but that moment was forgotten. She'd forgotten that she was standing on water, she forgot that she wanted her memories back, nothing but Itachi and herself was left in her mind.

When the kiss was broken, Itachi whispered to her, "I trust you, too."

* * *

A/N: Yay! X3


	9. The Sorceress' Return

* * *

A/N: Yay! Well, I got good news! This is the chapter where... Something REALLY important happens! X3

Five months had come and gone and Sakura and Itachi were dating. The two couldn't really say that those skanky fangirls were happy about it, but they were happy that Fugaku seemed rather... calm about it.

Well, since it had been six months, as promised, Sakura was to get her memories back. One day, while Sakura was out fetching some groceries for Mikoto, she noticed an elderly lady watching her. The lady's appearance tugged at some strings in her mind, but she couldn't say where she'd seen the woman.

"Sakura," the woman called in a hoarse voice.

She looked at the old lady once more and mentally debated whether she should just walk away before she got into trouble. Of course, she knew that would be rude. She walked toward the lady and asked, "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you, Sakura," the old lady replied. "I know more about you than even you know."

"Y-You know my past!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Tell me, what am I like? Was I popular? Tell me everything!"

"There is no need to," the old lady told her. "I can give you your memory."

"You can... what?"

The lady nodded and poked Sakura's forehead with her index and middle fingers.

"What was that f—" Before Sakura could finish her question, a mad rush of flashes of scenes too quick to decipher ran before her eyes like a movie on fast-forward. She gasped in surprise and fell onto her backside, unable to get any words out. She just opened and closed her mouth a few times in surprise and confusion. "I-It worked," she whispered, looking around the street, now realizing that this was the street from seven years before her time.

"It did," replied the sorceress. "Now is your time to attack, Haruno Sakura. Take as long as you need, but I implore you to do it quickly before you get too involved in this time."

She nodded, not really listening to what the sorceress had been saying.

"Now, I'll leave you to your business." And the sorceress disappeared.

"Sakura- nee-san!" (A/N: I finally got it right! X3) called Sasuke, running toward her. "Why are you on the ground?"

"Oh, uh, I tripped."

"Silly nee-san!" laughed Sasuke, helping her to stand up.

Sakura brushed herself off and asked, "Um... do you want to walk to the market with me?"

Sasuke nodded and walked with her, holding her arm protectively. "I don't want you to trip again," he'd told her. "You could get hurt, Nee-san!"

She blushed and tried to remember that this was not the actual Sasuke she knew and loved. Then, it hit her. She did have romantic feelings for Itachi and she did have romantic feelings for Sasuke back in her time... she would have to kill Itachi to save Sasuke from becoming the man he was long after the time she was in.

_What do I do...?_

* * *

A/N: Yay! Sorry for the shortness, but I didn't want to reveal too much! X3


	10. Enter: Little Sakura

A/N: Sorry for the slow update on this one... n.n;

* * *

"Nee-chan!" yelled Sasuke, running into the house a few weeks after Sakura regained her memories.

Sakura, who had been sitting at the kitchen table with Mikoto, shining the good silverware, looked up at Sasuke in confusion. "What's up, Sasuke-kun?"

"Look!" yelled Sasuke, jumping to the side to show a little girl, wearing a pink dress and a red hair ribbon.

_Is that me...? _she thought, blinking in confusion.

"Her name is Haruno Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Sasuke, looking so proud of himself for bringing this girl home.

_I knew it... _she thought, trying not to look as proud as she felt. _I can spot myself from a mile away! ... Wait, that didn't make sense..._

While Sakura thought of the best way to correct what she'd thought, Mikoto commented, setting down the fork she'd been shining, "She does bear a striking resemblance to you, Sakura-san. And the fact that she has the same first name as you is quite the coincidence. I wonder if you two are related?"

Just to be on the safe side, Sakura had told nobody about gaining her memories... Now she was glad she hadn't. "I-I don't know," she lied, looking at her embarrassed past-self. She walked over to her mini-self and knelt down so the two were at eye level. "Hello," she greeted.

"H-Hi..." greeted mini-Sakura, looking at her feet in embarrassment.

_I'm gonna call her mini-me... _she thought, remembering the line from a movie she'd seen with Naruto and Sasuke a while back... or a while ahead, whichever it was. She ruffled the little girl's hair which made her smile slightly.

"Can she stay for dinner, Kaa-san?" asked Sasuke excitedly. "Please?"

"Oh, I don't see an issue with that," answered Mikoto with a nod. "Itachi-chan should be home in a couple hours, as well as Fugaku-san, so we can all have dinner together."

"Is that okay with you, Sakura-chan?" asked Sasuke, smiling widely.

Sakura blushed even more and stammered, "I-I'm okay with it... Sasuke-kun..." She whispered the little boy's name, her hands shaking.

_Of course I liked him back then..._

"Why don't you two go play outside, Sasuke-chan?" asked Mikoto, leading Sasuke out the door to send the two kids outside.

The two kids ran off, Sasuke being a total gentle-boy and running slower for little Sakura, so she could keep up.

"Sakura-san, would you mind going and getting Itachi-chan from the training grounds?" she asked, turning to Sakura. "I'm sure he's taken you to the fourth training ground?"

"Yeah," she lied, knowing where it was from training with Team 7. She left the house saying a quick goodbye. She ran through the village, slower than she would when she was back in her own time.

She was a bit rusty from inactivity for the last six months, but she was able to run. She made it to the right training ground and saw Itachi standing there, his head lowered. She wondered if he was hurt or sad, but then he took out several kunai and jumped into the air faster than she could blink.

As he fell downward, he threw all the kunai in sequence along with two he'd kept hidden. All of them hit right in the middle of each of the targets around him, even the one in his blind spot.

She smiled slightly, knowing she had such a great boyfriend, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it would turn out to be a problem when she had to kill him. She walked toward Itachi, pushing that thought to the deepest, darkest part of her mind and said, "Hey."

He turned to her and smiled slightly. "Hey yourself."

"Mikoto-san asked me to come get you," she explained herself.

He sighed and told her, "Tou-san would have a cow."

"Is he that strict on you?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

He didn't answer. After a few moments, he asked, "Can I teach you a few things?"

She nodded and did everything he said. "First, go into stance." She mirrored the same stance he was in, which was much different than what she was used to.

"Now, concentrate all your energy into the core of your body until you feel you're just about to explode."

She did as told. Since she hadn't concentrated on her chakra for a long time, she found it a little difficult, but she managed to do it.

"Now, concentrate that energy to your feet."

She did as told.

"Now, jump as high as you can."

She did that and found herself at least ten feet in the air. Not knowing what to do next, she fell and he caught her. "When you start to fall," he told her, "turn so your head is facing downward; then, turn again when you're closer to the ground and land on your feet.

She tried this and found herself doing what Itachi had done, but without the weapons.

"You're quite the fast learner," he commented when she landed on her feet after five times of practicing. "And you have a lot of chakra... if I didn't know better; I'd say you were a shinobi at one point."

She laughed sheepishly, trying to seem innocent.

"Now, since you're doing such a great job, I want you to practice throwing kunai," he told her. "Aim, then throw the kunai and try your hardest to get it in the middle of that target." He pointed at a target.

He gave her a kunai and she tried her hardest. She knew this would be the harder part of what he was teaching her, her weaponry not very up-to-par.

She aimed and missed the first time. The second time, it hit the edge of the target and bounced back.

She picked up the kunai and thought of a way to make sure suspicion stayed off of her. She asked, "Can I see one of those star thingamabobs?"

He handed her the shuriken and she held it in her two hands. "Why can't we just do this?" She ran to a tree and planted the weapon into it, trying to look very proud.

He laughed slightly and said, "I'll show you why, come at me as if you were going to attack me."

She ran toward him, slower than usual, still trying to keep the impression that she had no idea what she was doing. Right before Sakura could try and hit him, Itachi moved to the side and stuck out his foot, Sakura's face planting into the earth.

He helped her up, laughing and helped brush off the dirt. "That's why. It's too easy for a shinobi to guess another shinobi's moves if you make yourself a running target like that."

She nodded in understanding, knowing that to be true.

He asked her, "Do you want to learn?"

She nodded excitedly and answered, "Yes!"

He chuckled and said, "That'd give me something to do instead of just training from day to day."

She asked him, "Break now? Mikoto-san is probably wondering where we are."

He nodded and they walked back into the village.

* * *

A/N: She's a liah! XD


	11. Life's Simplicity

A/N: Well, sorry for the slow update... I had a few issues I had to deal with, but they're officially gone! Well... Sort of... n.n;

* * *

"Well, who's this?" asked Itachi, kneeling before little Sakura.

"This is Little Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Sasuke. "She's my princess."

"Your princess, huh?" asked Sakura with a chuckle. "Well, your highness, if I could be so daring, may I ask you to go wash your hands for dinner?"

She nodded and she ran to a sink with Sasuke so they could wash their hands for dinner, giggling as they splashed each other in the process.

Sakura whispered to Itachi, "I saw the two playing out back. Sasuke-kun was a shinobi and Little Sakura was a princess-in-distress."

"I see," whispered Itachi.

The group sat at the table, Fugaku sitting at the head of the table as usual.

"Can Little Sakura-chan stay the night?" asked Sasuke. "Please?"

Mikoto answered, "If it's alright with her parents, I don't see why not."

"Kaa-san and Tou-san are in Suna on a business trip," answered Little Sakura.

"Well, are you staying with anybody?" asked Mikoto.

Little Sakura shook her head in the negative. "They say I'm old enough to take care of myself for a few nights."

"Well, you can stay here tonight," Mikoto replied kindly. "You're too young and cute to be all alone."

Little Sakura blushed and thanked the mother of her crush.

"Well, we need to call her something other than Sakura-chan," stated Sasuke. "We'll get the two Sakuras mixed up. How about we call her... Mini-Saku-chan?" (A/N: Courtesy of kakashi-and-pocky for the name!)

Everybody nodded in agreement.

"Yay for Mini Saku-chan!" exclaimed Sasuke, waving his arms in the air.

_He's changed, _thought Sakura, looking at Sasuke with a warm smile, then turned her attention to Itachi who was eating his dinner. _Then again, so has he._

It had been a month since Sakura had regained her memories and she found herself back in the same shape she'd been in before she met the sorceress.

She found herself in a terrible dilemma, though. She loved Sasuke from her time, but also had feelings for Itachi in the time she was in; she didn't know who she should choose.

When she was sure she was far enough into the forest that nobody could see her, she would practice her jutsu and the kunai one Itachi had taught her. She continued her training with Itachi and played with Sasuke when he was on missions.

"Nee-chan!" yelled Sasuke after he'd punted the soccer ball into the air. "Catch the ball!"

Sakura saw her past self trying as hard as she could to get the ball, so she slowed down and let her get it.

Sasuke ran over to her. Hugging her, he exclaimed, "That's my Mini-Saku-chan!" He whooped for "his Mini-Saku-chan" while Sakura clapped, feeling so selfless.

"What's going on?" asked Itachi, looking at the three with a smirk.

"We're playing!" answered Sasuke, letting go of a very red Little Sakura. "Aren't you on a mission?"

"Just got back," he answered. "Can I talk to you, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded and walked toward her boyfriend. When she got to him, they walked away in a silence for a few moments.

Finally, Itachi spoke, "I've gotten into ANBU."

"I-Is that a good thing?" she asked, trying to pretend she had no idea what ANBU meant.

"Well, Tou-san thinks so."

"You don't?"

"I don't know," he answered, staring at the ground. "It means harder missions, more dangerous. A lot more training. It's nothing I can't handle, but...itt'll take away the time I would normally spend with you."

Then, it hit her, _Itachi cares... Sasuke-kun doesn't... I don't have to choose, Sasuke-kun chose for me!_

So, she told him, "I really think you should do whatever you think is best. Nobody's opinion should matter most to you than your own."

He nodded in understanding and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, I knew I could talk to you." The two joined hands and took a stroll through the village.

Life was perfect in its simplicity...

* * *

A/N: X3 Naw, the challenging parts are much more fun! X3


	12. Shisui

A/N: Yay! More chapters! X3

* * *

"Sakura," called Itachi, standing in Sakura's doorway. "There's somebody I'd like you to meet."

Sakura looked at Itachi with a confused grin, but stood, nonetheless. She followed him out of the house and into another house inside the compound.

"Aunt," called Itachi. "Uncle, it's me, Itachi."

A middle-aged couple came into the room and looked Sakura up and down. "Oh, so this is the new addition to the Uchiha clan?" asked the woman who Sakura assumed to be Itachi's aunt.

"Addition?" asked Sakura with a blush.

"Yes, Shisui-chan has been going on and on about how Itachi-chan is always talking about his girlfriend."

Sakura smirked at Itachi who looked away to hide the blush that she could see anyway.

"It's great to finally meet you, Sakura-san," said Itachi's uncle.

She nodded in response, smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, Shisui-chan!" called Itachi's aunt. "Come meet Sakura-san!"

Shisui appeared in a cloud of smoke, right before Sakura. "Ah, hello," he greeted, bowing in respect. "Sakura-san, right? I've heard so much about you."

"Really? I don't think I've heard of you."

Shisui chuckled and said, "Well, better late than never. Itachi! Introduce us, if you could be so kind?"

"This is my elder cousin, Shisui-san," Itachi told her, adopting a bored tone of voice, "Shisui, this is Sakura."

This Shisui person bore quite the likeness to Itachi, only five or six years older.

"Nice to meet you," she replied, bowing.

"Sakura is quite a fast learner," Itachi boasted. "I've been teaching her for only a matter of weeks and she's already quite exceptional at genjutsu."

"Genjutsu, huh?" asked Shisui, quirking a brow. "How about we see just how exceptional your genjutsu is, Sakura-san?"

Itachi objected, "Shisui, she's not even a shin—"

"Sure," Sakura cut-in, smirking. "Gauntlet picked up, gauntlet thrown, gauntlet retrieved. Let's go for it."

"Sakura—"

"It's okay, Itachi," she cut-in again. "You've taught me well, now have faith in your student."

Itachi didn't argue further, but she could see a worried look in his eyes.

"The 15th training ground then?" asked Shisui, looking oh-so-smug. "Now?"

"You're on," she answered.

"Ladies first," he said.

"Age before beauty."

"Your girl's got spunk," Shisui told Itachi, looking amused as he walked off, everybody following.

"I know," Itachi replied, looking at Sakura with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side.

She took the kunai he secretly handed her and hid it in a woman's best storage place. That's right; she shoved it down her bra. When they made it out of the village and to the 15th training ground, he asked, "So, what do you want?"

"What do you do?"

She saw a blush form on Shisui's face at the thought of the... erm, adult joke. He took out a kunai and she pulled the kunai out of her bra, which caught Shisui off guard.

"Well, I say a mixture of ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu," she stated, twirling the kunai on her middle finger casually. "Is that good for you?"

Shisui shrugged, trying to seem casual, as well.

She threw the hand twirling the kunai up in the air, the kunai jumping off and she caught it expertly.

"Did you teach her that?" Itachi's uncle asked Itachi who shrugged in confusion.

"Now, why don't you come to me?" she asked. "It's not right to make a lady lead."

Shisui shrugged again and charged and she moved to the side, just like Itachi had done and he missed his mark.

"I kinda taught her _that_," Itachi stated sheepishly.

Secretly doing some hand signs behind, she made Shisui the equivalent of one big doll. She placed a blow to his belly with her knee and hit the back of his head with her elbow.

He fell to the ground and she sat on his back while she retied her shoes.

"Get... off," Shuichi managed out, his face buried in the grass.

"What? You don't like girls on top?" she asked with a taunting pout. She stood back up and helped him to stand. She said, "I suppose my moves are... unorthodox, but they're so much fun."

How... did I get beaten so easily?" he asked, his face one big grass-stain.

"Genjutsu," she answered simply. "You were pretty much paralyzed for exactly fifteen seconds... I could've made it longer, but that would've been mean."

Shuichi laughed sheepishly. Maybe she was quite the genjutsu-user. He, himself, was known for his Genjutsu and he'd never seen that technique.

Of course, Sakura already knew that. She'd developed the jutsu herself. But Itachi couldn't help but be confused... He didn't remember ever teaching her that jutsu.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, Sakura's gonna be in troooouuuuuble! X3


	13. Arguments

A/N: X3

* * *

"Can I talk to you?" asked Itachi, standing in Sakura's doorway once again.

"Of course," she answered with a nod and patted the bed for him to sit down with one hand while the other held the craft she was working on.

"What's that?" he asked, looking at the cross-stitch in Sakura's lap.

"Mikoto-san taught me needle-point and gave me some patterns. See? I'm drawing a kitty!"

Itachi smiled half-heartedly and placed a hand atop of hers.

"I-Is something wrong?" she asked, looking at Itachi in worry as she set down the needle-point and held his hand between both of hers.

"Yeah... well, not really, but sort of."

"So, there is, but there isn't, but there is?"

"It's not very important, I'm probably just being paranoid. Father has been telling me that I've been acting oddly lately, so maybe that's it," he told her. "I-I'll just leave you to your needle-point-thing."

"No, Itachi, wait," she told him, grabbing his hand tighter to keeping him from leaving. "I want to know what's going on."

He sat back down reluctantly and sighed. "I-I'm not very good at talking to girls... I've gotten a lot better at it since you came along, but it's hard for me to tell you what's on my mind and it's even harder to think about what you would say in return."

"Well, if you want to sit here and think on how you're going to say it, I can wait," she suggested, "Just sit back and relax and I'll sit back and relax and be quiet so that you can concentrate."

He sighed again and asked quickly, "Did you get your memories back?"

"W-What?" she asked, taken aback.

"Your memories, have they come back?"

"N-Not as far as I know," she lied. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, when you fought with Shisui, you used that genjutsu," he explained. "I never taught you that."

Sakura tensed and Itachi saw. She quickly regained her composure and told him, "I-I saw somebody else do that jutsu and I practiced it until I could do it."

"And who did you practice it on?" he asked, trying to suppress his suspicion.

"A clone."

"Really?"

She asked, "What's with the interrogation? Do you not trust me? I'm telling you the truth!"

"It just seems very odd how you could copy a jutsu like that and know its effects and how long it lasts, especially for a beginner who wasn't even in the academy."

"Are you implying you think I'm a shinobi?" she asked, standing up.

"Of course not," he answered calmly, standing as well, "I can't make accusations just like that, but it seems odd how you were able to do the jutsu like a pro."

"Well, I did, I-I don't know how, but I did."

"I trust you, Sakura, I'm just curious to know what happened back there."

"If you trusted me, you wouldn't keep on questioning me about it!"

"Calm down, Sakura," he commanded. "You're blowing this out of proportion."

"You started it!"

"I was just asking you a few questions—"

"You were interrogating me, that's what you were doing!"

"I'm not going to argue with you on this," he told her with an annoyed sigh, "I guess I'll just leave you to your needle-point." With those last words, he left the room, slamming the door shut behind himself. She listened to his footsteps walk down the hall until she heard another door slam shut. He'd left the house.

She fell back onto the bed and sighed. _I guess I was a little too defensive, but he didn't have to keep questioning me. He should trust me... okay, well, no he shouldn't because I'm lying through my teeth, but still... he should._

Sakura picked up the needle-point and stared at the kitty she was making. She smiled and set it down, picking out a new assortment of colors and a new piece of cloth. She immediately set to work on her new project, not bothering to come up with a plan. She already knew what she was making.

A few days later, Sakura waited in Itachi's room patiently for him to enter. Finally, she saw the door begin to open and she got ready to show him her surprise.

When he saw her in there, he looked shocked, then puzzled. "What're you...?"

"I made you something," she told him. She lifted the present off her lap and showed him the cross-stitch of a Sharingan eye, perfect down to the three tomoe and the little border.

He looked at it and smirked. "You did this?"

She nodded.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Oh, and I'm sorry for spazzing, too."

He shook his head. "I shouldn't have interrogated you like I did."

"No, you were curious."

And the two went into a playful argument over who was wrong...

* * *

A/N: This story has been one big filler, hasn't it? Well, next chapter is going to have some Uchiha problems leading to the massacre, so... yeah. XD


	14. Truth Revealed

A/N: As I promised, Uchiha problems... And some Sakura stuff, too! This chapter is longer than usual because I had to fit a lot of stuff into it, so... Enjoy! ... I just hope it isn't too cramped... -.-;

_

* * *

If I change Itachi and keep him from killing the clan, I'm not exactly failing what I came here for and I can stay here, _Sakura silently told herself as she walked down the hallway. Sakura was about to knock on Itachi's bedroom door, but hesitated when he heard the voice of another man.

This unnamed man and Itachi seemed to be whispering about something...

_Shisui-san must be here, _she thought, shrugging and started to walk off, but then stopped dead in her tracks.

"Madara," Itachi had said. Who was Madara? Was he an Uchiha, as well?

"Sasuke is capable to access Mangekyou. My brother was capable, as well. As soon as your vision fails, his eyes are yours for the taking and, not only will your vision be restored, but you'll be granted immortality. An added bonus."

"Are you sure this could work?"

"I'm positive."

Silence. "Alright."

"And, when you do this, you're pretty much guaranteed a spot."

_A spot...? _Sakura mentally asked herself. _T-They're not talking about Akatsuki, are they?_

"Sakura," she heard Itachi call her name. "Why don't you go get some lunch?"

Surprised and confused, Sakura silently ran out of the hallway and into the kitchen. She couldn't help but feel the tears well in her eyes as she sat at the table.

"Sakura-san?" asked Mikoto, looking at her with worry evident on her face. "What's wrong? You look like you just lost your best friend, dear."

"Oh, uh, i-it's nothing," she lied, shaking her head. "I think I just need some air." She rushed out of the house and down to the dock where Itachi and she had shared their real first kiss. After taking off her shoes, she dipped her feet into the water and ignored the feeling of the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

She was such a fool. To believe that she could actually change the stone heart of an Uchiha? To have fallen in love with another one? How stupid could she be?

"Sakura," she heard the sorceress behind her and wasn't surprised. She had a feeling she'd be coming by sooner or later.

"Hm?" she asked, brushing the tears off her cheeks.

"It is soon," the sorceress told her. "The massacre, I mean. Untold tragedies will not only befall the Uchiha clan or you."

"So, what?" Sakura asked. "Are you going to say, "Take one for the team, Sakura' or, 'There are plenty other fish in the sea'?"

"It's for the best," the sorceress told her. "Trust me, and your head. You saw what happened because of Uchiha Itachi, your heart, however, doesn't want to remember it. Follow your head, it knows what it's doing."

"Some pep-talker you are," Sakura replied dryly. "Usually, people say to follow your heart."

"I'm not trying to cheer you up," the sorceress corrected. "I'm trying to show you the truth, the reality of life. Though he doesn't seem like it, he's a cold-blooded killer and a leopard never changes its spots."

"But aren't we all cold-blooded killers?" she asked. "That's what shinobi are, hired killers, right?"

"Itachi is not like any shinobi you've ever met, Child. He is not a proper shinobi and you should know that. He kills for entertainment, not for duty; for what he wants, not for what is right."

"No," she replied.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"No, he's not like that!"

"He is and if you wait around any longer, you'll see the truth!"

"No!" she screamed, placing her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear it!" After a few moments of keeping her hands over her ears, she put her hands down and turned to see that the sorceress was gone.

Itachi was walking down the dirt trail and she turned back to the lake, ignoring him.

What was she to do? Beg him not to kill the clan? She could say, "I was sent here from the future to kill you so that you wouldn't kill the clan, but I love you and I don't want you to die, so please don't go through with the massacre and live a mediocre life with me." He'd only think she was totally insane...

What if she continued to try and change him? Try to make sure he didn't kill the clan? That could work... but it wouldn't. She'd be better off with the first plan.

"Hey, Sakura," she heard Itachi call her. "What're you doing here?"

"Thinking," she answered vaguely, not bothering to turn and look at him.

"Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Oh, uh... I know you overheard me talking with somebody..."

"Yeah."

"H-How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know you're going to take Sasuke-kun's eyes. Y-You're not thinking of killing the clan, are you?"

Itachi didn't answer.

"Are you?" she asked again.

"I've thought about it, okay?"

"How can you even think of killing your own family?"

"You haven't lived with my family long enough to know how hard it is, Sakura," he told her. "You don't know how it feels to have expectations from the moment you're born till the moment you die. You don't know anything about it!"

"That doesn't mean they deserve to die!"

"Yes they do! They all do!"

"And who are you to decide who deserves to live and die?" she asked, her voice raising as she stood to face him, "Who gave you the right to play God with other people's lives?"

"Will you just shut up for once, Sakura, and stop prying into my life?" he snapped, his eyes bleeding into Sharingan. He was angry.

She glared at him a few moments then stalked off to her room where she slammed the door shut and threw herself onto her bed to sulk.

"Itachi," called Fugaku. "Where is that boy?"

"Try the dock," she hollered and she heard the door close. Itachi was probably in trouble now, too. _Good, _she thought. _He deserves it..._

A few hours later, Sakura was still holed up in her room, steaming when she heard a knock on the door.

"Can I come in, Sakura?"

"I'm sure you're physically able to open a door, Itachi," she answered harshly.

She heard a frustrated sigh from the other side of the door and then he asked, "_May_ I come in, Sakura?"

"No, you may not."

"We should have a talk."

"I don't care!"

The door opened to show Itachi and he walked into the room without permission. She threw a pillow at him, but he caught it and tossed it to the floor. He sat on the bed and she tried to push him off with her feet, but failed.

Giving in to defeat, she asked, "What?"

"I'm going on a mission," he told her. "I wanted to wish you goodnight and I don't want you mad at me. I promise you that everything will turn out fine."

"You're not killing the clan?" she asked hopefully.

"No," he told her but she could bet all the money in the world that he was lying.

"Liar!" she screamed, throwing another pillow at him. He caught that one, as well. Her anger flaring, she balled a fist and punched him square in the jaw and he fell off the bed.

He stared at her in shock for a few moments then looked angry. He stood, took her wrist and forced her to her feet. "That just proved to me that you are a shinobi. I don't know who you are, where you came from or why you're here, but..."

She stared at him with contempt until his angered look softened.

"What?" she asked. "But what?"

He released his hold on her and told her, "I can't do it. Look, I don't know who you are, but—"

"Haruno Sakura," she cut-in, knowing that she'd been found out. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

"Then you're..."

"Sasuke-kun's friend, Sakura, is me. I originally came from six years in the future to stop you from..."

"Stop me from killing the clan," he concluded.

She nodded. "You're going to cause a lot of destruction and heartbreak, especially for my friends and I... I was in love with Sasuke-kun in that time, but..."

"But?"

"But I met you and I've found myself so much better off with you than with anybody else."

"Then, you can stay with me."

"And you won't kill the clan?"

Once again, he didn't answer.

"Then, how can I possibly stay with you?"

"Join Akatsuki with me," he told her. "Show me what you can actually do and I can make you even stronger. You and I can do great things together."

"You mean terrible," she corrected, scowling as she took a step back.

"We both live in the real world, Sakura," he told her. "This isn't some fairytale where evil loses and good prevails. Let's be practical here, okay? Think it over. I will give you one chance and one chance only. Tell anybody, and I will not hesitate to take you down with the clan."

She nodded, actually willing to give his words some thought.

_Well, this _is _the real world, _Sakura thought. She was trying to talk herself into accepting his offer, but she just couldn't find a way around the unethical implications of what he was planning to do. _Well, it's either sit back and watch him kill the clan and live in self-pity without him, or help him kill them and live in self-pity with him, _she thought. _The latter does seem more appealing._

She smirked and went to Itachi's room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Sakura," she answered. "Can I come in?"

"I'm sure you're physically able to open a door, Sakura," Itachi teased.

She shook her head in amusement and asked, "_May_ I come in?"

"No, you may not," he answered.

"And why not?"

"Because you wouldn't let me into your room."

She chuckled and opened the door. There Itachi was, lying on his bed, reading a book. She asked, "No training today?"

"Nah," he answered. "Have you come up to a conclusion on where your loyalties lay?"

"I'll join," she answered. "But..."

"But what?"

"Please, don't make me hurt my friends."

He told her, "That isn't my decision to make, but I'll try to make that happen."

She smiled and asked, "So, what now?"

"The plan has already started... Shisui-san is dead."

* * *

A/N: Ooh, Shisui's dead! O.O And Sakura wants to join Akatsuki? Wow, what a turnaround...


	15. Test

A/N: So... I know you're all wondering what's going to happen next, so I thought I'd be nice and spare you all the suspense. Oh, and just so we're clear, I don't very much like this chapter, so please don't say, "Lyke, ZOMG! This is lyke the worst chappe eva! Lyke!" ... Okay, I know none of you talk like that, cuz you're all cool in my book!

* * *

"He's... dead?" she asked. "Why? How?"

"How do you think?" asked Itachi.

"You mean you—"

"He's an Uchiha, Sakura."

"I know, but already?"

"He was the end of the beginning and now all that's left is the rest of the clan."

"Your mission last night," she said. "You weren't really on a mission, were you? You killed him instead, right?"

"We can't talk about this right now," he told her. "Not here. Even the walls have ears in this household, especially with Tou-san around."

"Then, where do we go?"

"The dock," he answered. "Let's go."

Sakura followed him out of the room, holding his hand for appearances. They were just going for a walk, she told herself, a nice, innocent walk.

Just as the two got out of the house, however, a group of three men approached Itachi. "Itachi-san," greeted one of them.

Itachi gave them a curt nod as a greeting.

"I'm sure you've heard of Shisui-san throwing himself into the river last night, correct?"

"Yes," he answered. "How terrible."

"Well, we're going to investigate further into this and we thought we'd ask you a few questions since you and Shisui had been so close."

Itachi stayed silent, watching the men for a few moments, Sakura watching him with worry. "Sakura," he finally said, not taking his eyes off of the three men. "Why don't you go inside and wait for me there? Won't be long, I've got a few questions, as well."

She nodded and headed back into the house, listening in on the conversation.

"Why investigate a suicide?" asked Itachi.

"Because, we don't believe it was suicide."

"Oh? So, you believe it was homicide, then?"

"Precisely," answered one of the men. "You see, last night, during the clan meeting, there were two people missing. One of them was Shisui, naturally, and the other was you."

_So, that's why Fugaku-san was looking for Itachi yesterday, _thought Sakura.

"Shisui left this note," another man said, showing Itachi a note Sakura couldn't see. "He was known as Shisui of the Mirage and was known to take on any mission, so this is definitely an odd note. Of course, anybody with Sharingan could easily copy a person's handwriting."

"Are you implying that you think I killed Shisui-san?"

"Who's implying anything?" asked a man. "From what we hear, you looked up to Shisui like an older brother. It'd be unfortunate to hear that you killed him."

"I did not kill him," Itachi replied, his voice sounding angered.

_Wow, he's a great actor... _Sakura thought, surprised at how Itachi was able to lie through his teeth so easily.

"Alright, I guess were done here, Guys," another man said and she heard footsteps leaving. "Just remember that you're not the only one with connections through ANBU, Itachi... If we find out you're betraying this clan, we won't hesitate to take you down."

There was silence for a few moments until Sakura heard the three men yelling. She poked her head out to see the three men on the ground, Fugaku approaching, looking surprised.

"Clan, clan, clan," Itachi spat, "You overestimate the depth your abilities while you underestimate the range of my own!" Itachi continued to rant on this while Sakura and everybody else watched in stunned silence.

Then, one of the men yelled something and Itachi went back to beating the pulp out of them.

"Itachi!" she yelled, trying to stop him from blowing their cover. "Please, stop! Don't do this! Please, just stop!"

Itachi stopped dead in his tracks, a look on his face that made it seem as though he'd just woken from a trance, and fell to his knees and bowed before the men. "I am sorry for saying and doing such things. And as for Shisui-san, I did not kill him."

He stood back up and threw a kunai at one of the Uchiha Fans, rendering it cracked. As he took Sakura and left with her, he said, "I've lost all hope for this foolish clan."

Sakura held his hand and watched him as he looked ahead. He truly looked angry.

Instead of going to the dock as they'd planned, he took her out of the village and to one of the training areas.

"Let's see just how well-developed you are in your skills," he commented.

She knew this was really so he could work off some steam, but she nodded and took the weapons he offered her.

"Alright," he said. "Let's star—" Sakura threw a kunai at Itachi and it whizzed by his face. "... And here I thought I couldn't like you more," he commented, checking his cheek for blood.

She smirked, placing her hands on her waist. "You're not the only one that can make lessons out of jokes."

She placed the weapons on the ground, but kept a few kunai in her hand. As she ran toward Itachi, she threw a fist at him, which he easily dodged. Her fist crashed into the ground, causing a large fissure where Itachi once stood.

He stared at her for a few moments, then at the fissure, then back at her. "Looks like Konoha is losing one great shinobi."

She blushed slightly, and then asked, "C'mon, what's with the defence? Fight me for real, it'll be fun."

"You don't want me to," he replied.

"Oh, don't I?" she inquired, her smirk returning. "Aren't we confident?"

"Always."

She shrugged and charged at Itachi, aiming to punch him, but he took hold of her thin waist and flipped her to the ground, straddling her waist.

"Told you," he told her.

She saw him smirk as a blush surfaced on her cheeks once again. She placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted her head as if to kiss him, but, right before their lips met, she pushed him off and took her rightful place, straddling him. "What were you saying?" she asked, smirking devilishly.

"You cheat," he accused.

"All's fair in love and war."

"Ah, a philosopher, are you?"

"I wasn't the biggest brain in my team for nothing, you know."

"Well, you've won me over," stated Itachi. "I'll talk to Madara and have you come along."

Sakura whooped and threw her arms in the air in excitement. Itachi took the advantage and flipped her over again so he was straddling her and said, "Got you."

"You cheat," she hissed playfully.

"Now, now, Sakura," he told her. "Who was it that said, 'All's fair in love and war'?"

"I did," she mumbled, pouting.

"And who cheated first?"

"I did."

"Good girl," he teased, standing up.

He helped her up and they decided they'd spend the rest of their time walking around the village.

As they walked around, they noticed Kakashi heading toward the Uchiha compound, yet Itachi didn't even give him a second glance. She was surprised for the moment, but shrugged it off. Why should he care when they were all going to die anyway?

* * *

A/N: So, as I said, I don't like it... I hope you do, though! That's all that matters! X3


	16. The Sorceress' Identity

A/N: Yay! Thank you for 294 reviews! X3 That is, by far, the most reviews I've gotten for any story! XD

* * *

"Hey there, little lady," greeted an older-looking man, his long black hair hanging loosely at his back except for at the top where it was shorter and cropped like Sasuke's hair-style.

"Hi," replied Sakura warily.

"Oh, Sakura, this is Uchiha Madara," Itachi told her. "He'll be... helping us."

She bowed respectfully and he only chuckled in return. "No need for such complaisance in our organization. That'll just get you walked all over."

"Like Tobi?" asked Itachi with a smirk.

"Shut your mouth, Uchiha," Madara replied, jabbing Itachi in the side with his elbow.

"Who's Tobi?" Sakura asked.

"Yours truly," answered Madara. "Pein is the Leader, but I created Akatsuki and follow Zetsu-san."

"That doesn't make much sense."

"Well, it does if you were in my shoes, not wanting to get caught by my enemies."

That did make sense... sort of... "So, you both have Mangekyou Sharingan?" asked Sakura, changing the subject.

Both men nodded.

"Well, I was studying different types of doujutsu for a friend of mine with Byakugan and I came across an article on Mangekyou. Apparently it renders the user blind?"

"Eventually, yes," answered Itachi.

"Well, I don't know how much help I could be, but I was a medic-nin back in my time, trained by Tsunade-sama herself, so I'm sure I could help out somehow."

Both men looked to each other, smirking.

"A medic-nin would be invaluable in Akatsuki," Madara told her. "We'd better keep good care of you, sweetheart."

Sakura smiled, blushing slightly. She was help now. No longer was she Haruno Sakura, the nuisance... She was "invaluable", as they'd said.

"Today is the day," Itachi told Sakura. "Be prepared. I sent Sasuke out training. I told him I'd help him with his shuriken jutsu if he practiced really hard, so he should be gone awhile."

Sakura nodded, pushing the thoughts of how cruel this was out of her mind. "What would you like me to do?"

"The Uchiha are most surely going to fight back, we need your help to get all of them before they get us."

"Okay."

"Oh, and I have something for you," Itachi said, pulling out a box and handing it to her. "A great shinobi should never go into battle unarmed."

She opened it to see a complete set of both kunai and shuriken, each adorning a red cloud on its handle.

"They're the best anybody can find. Virtually unbreakable and they've got the Akatsuki insignia on each of them."

She smiled happily and threw her arms around her boyfriend, hugging him tightly. "Thank you!"

He chuckled, patting her back. "Well, we'd best get Madara and get a move on."

He handed her a weapon's pouch and a katana along with a sheath and she placed all of her new weapons inside the weapons' pouch. She was a shinobi again. Of course, she went to her room and changed out of the civilian-wear she wore and donned the outfit she'd worn when she was first sent back in time.

"Sakura?" Itachi called through the door. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, just a minute," she answered. She heard Itachi walked off, and as he did, she readied herself for what she was about to do. "Sorceress," she said to the room. "I know you can hear me, we need to talk."

The sorceress appeared and looked at the kunoichi before. "Quite the plan, Sakura, to agree to this, then kill him."

"That isn't the plan," she told the sorceress. "I'm actually going to help Itachi, then join Akatsuki. I was a nuisance in my time, but I'm not here. Now, my headband, if you please."

"What?" asked the sorceress, "But you can't do that!"

"But I can," she answered. "And I will. Now, if you wish to be the first one to have their blood stain my kunai, don't give me the headband. It's your choice, really."

"In case you've forgotten," the sorceress said, scowling, "I brought you here and I can just as easily bring you back!"

"No, you can't," Sakura corrected. "I'd noticed from the very start how low your energy was. Let me guess, you were going to have me kill him then you were going to leave me stuck here?"

The sorceress' scowl darkened. "So, you are a smart one. You're right, that was my plan. I am, in fact, Uchiha Sakumo, one of the very few Uchiha left alive. Itachi knew of my powers and he founded a jutsu where one can absorb the chakra from another. The jutsu I used on you was actually a time-travel jutsu. I used the last of my energy to bring you here and was going to have you kill him before I died so that the effects of the jutsu would be reversed, but..." Sakumo scowled, needing not continue.

Sakura took out a kunai and told the sorceress, "I'm not a pawn, you nasty witch!" she threw the kunai at the sorceress, piercing her chest. She died with a pain-filled howl and Sakura retrieved her headband and her kunai. She left to go find Itachi so they could start.

"Well, well, well," Madara commented, the three meeting outside the Uchiha compound. "You've got a headband, huh?"

She nodded.

"But there's something missing," he told her, feigning puzzlement. "Ah, that's right!" He lunged at her and she flinched. He swung a hand at her and she blocked, but he didn't hit her. Before she could realize what had happened, she was perfectly fine and her headband was gone.

She looked at Madara curiously as he knelt over what was probably her headband. "Hey, what are you doing?"

She heard the sound of metal hitting metal and she flinched again. He stood again and tossed her the headband. She inspected it to see nothing but a crack across the symbol of the leaf...

"Now, you may wear the headband with honor," Madara told her, smirking. "Welcome to our world, Haruno, the world where everything is for keeps. Welcome to Akatsuki."

"Well, that was a nice speech and all, but shouldn't we get to killing now?" she asked, tying the headband on her head the way she usually did.

Madara laughed and slapped Itachi on the back, "During these hundreds of years I've lived, I've never heard somebody say something so Itachi-like!"

She ignored the odd-sounding comment and looked to Itachi for orders. "Let's go," was all he said as he began to walk into the compound.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter is going to be the massacre! Aren't you all excited? ...:Crickets chirping: Stupid crickets. T.T


	17. The Massacre

A/N: HAPPY 300 REVIEWS! XDDDD

* * *

It started with an old woman. Madara sliced her jugular with a kunai and didn't stop to watch her die with a confused look on her face. He just kept on stabbing the life out of every person he saw. Itachi killed several people at once with his perfectly aimed shuriken and didn't even blink at the sight of the blood of his family staining his hands and face. Sakura, however, could not do it as easily. Every time she killed one of the Uchiha, she took her weapons back and she silently apologized to each one as she ran off.

Then, she came across Uchiha Sakumo, who she had the pleasure of decapitating with her katana. "Thanks for the fun times," she said over the Uchiha's dead body, then ran off to finish off the rest of the clan.

When the trio made it to the final house, the main household, Itachi took out his katana while Fugaku stood before his eldest son, sheltering his wife behind him.

The two didn't bother to ask why their eldest son was committing such a cruel, sadistic act; they must've known what he was thinking.

Sakura couldn't help but cringe at the sight of Mikoto's tears. Her eyes showed no fear, however; they seemed, more than anything, regretful. What did she regret, though? From what Sakura had seen, she was a great mother.

"I-Itachi," she said, her voice thick with tears. "I am so sorry. I—we should have treated you better."

Itachi raised his katana, ready to kill the only parents he was ever going to have. Sakura shut her eyes, but Madara took hold of her shoulder and shook her slightly.

"Don't look away," he told her. "You must get accustomed to this lifestyle and embrace it... This is the life you've chosen, so live it the way one of the Akatsuki would."

So, she watched as Itachi killed Fugaku. Mikoto flinched as she heard her husband's blood spill on the floor and she choked back a sob. Then, he raised his blood-stained katana once again to slaughter his mother.

"Don't do it," she breathed.

Before he lowered the weapon again, he hesitated. He looked to Sakura then to his mother, then to Madara. His once emotionless face turned to one of shock and horror.

"Itachi...?" she asked, worried and confused.

"S-Sakura, what are you... did I just—what have we done?" he asked, staring at his blood-stained hands. "Why did we...?"

"It was you who wanted to," she told him.

"I-I... When did I..."

"Shut up and do it, Itachi!" Madara snapped. "Kill her!"

He turned to Madara and scowled. "It was you, wasn't it? You brainwashed me! You used your goddamn Mangekyou to brainwash me, you bastard!"

Madara returned his scowl and said, "You're crazy."

"Am I?" Itachi asked, his voice raising as he gestured toward his father's dead body laying at his feet, "Am I?!"

Sakura could hear the hatred and sorrow in Itachi's voice and could tell he wasn't lying or acting like he'd done with those three Uchiha.

Madara didn't say a thing to defend himself anymore. Sakura couldn't believe it. All this time, while Itachi was planning the massacre, he was being brainwashed?

"Sakura," Itachi said, not taking his eyes off of Madara. "Tend to Tou-san. See what you can do and if you can save him, okay?"

She nodded and headed to get to Fugaku, but was stopped by Madara taking her arm and pulling her back to him. As soon as her back was pressed firmly against the man's chest, she felt cold steel press against the bare skin on her throat, feeling a little drop of blood run down her neck. She did her best not to swallow or speak, she barely breathed.

"Take even a step and I will slit her throat!" Madara exclaimed, his voice giving away is amusement and his insanity...

Itachi seemed to tense and Sakura knew he wasn't going to attack Madara with her in front of him. She wanted to tell him to forget about her and to kill Madara to save his mother, but the blade at her throat made it impossible for her to breathe, let alone speak.

By the look in Itachi's eyes, she could see he was thinking, trying to find a way to get her away. Then, faster than it took Sakura to blink, Itachi was gone and the blade that had been pressed to her neck was gone, as well.

She looked around for Itachi, but the room was too dark to see anything. Then, she heard the sound of metal clashing with metal and narrowed her eyes in the general direction the sound had come from to see Itachi and Madara, fighting one another.

"Sakura," Itachi growled, glaring at his opponent. "Get Kaa-san out of here, it's too late for Tou-san."

Sakura ran to Mikoto and helped her up. The two started to run out of the room when they heard Madara yell, "You won't get away so easily!"

Then, Itachi yelled, "Sakura! Hurry!"

But it was too late. Sakura felt a stabbing pain in her back and she cried out in pain, falling to the floor.

"Sakura-san!" cried Mikoto, trying to help her up.

Sakura reach over her back and pulled out the kunai that had planted itself there and she forced herself up to her feet and took Mikoto's hand as they ran out of the house. It wasn't until they got just outside the border that Sakura collapsed from blood-loss.

* * *

A/N: See? Now Itachi doesn't have to be the bad guy! X3


	18. Her Choice

A/N: Hi! Well, I am pleased to say that I'm updating the next chapter! I am not-so-pleased to say that this chapter is also the last chapter...

Mean audience people: Yay!

Meanies...

* * *

"I'm so sorry,"she heard somebody say. "I should have protected her better... I shouldn't have trusted Madara... I'm so sorry."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and it took a few moments for her vision to right itself. She looked around the room to see an IV bag full of blood and some machines reading her vital signs. Then, she saw Itachi leaning over the bed, his face in his arms.

She reached out a pale hand and set it on his head. He looked up, his face giving away his exhaustion. His hair was half-way out of its tie and he had a few cuts on his face.

"Hey, you," she whispered, taking his hand.

He took the hand and put it to his lips, closing his eyes as he let in a shuttering breath. She used her other hand to caress his cheek and he leaned into her soft palm.

"I take it... Madara's dead?" she asked.

He shook his head. "He escaped before I had a chance to kill his sorry ass."

"And Mikoto-san and Sasuke-kun?"

"As fine as they can be after all this. Tou-san didn't make it, though."

She hadn't expected him to, but she still had to shut her eyes as the tears began to burn them.

"I never should have asked you to do this," he told her. "I never should have trusted Madara."

"I never should have agreed," she replied. "All I wanted was to stay with you, even if it meant helping you kill them. Mikoto-san must hate me."

"She understands just as I do."

She tried to sit up, but felt a stabbing pain in her back.

He gently pushed her back down and said, "Lay still or you'll re-open your wounds."

She complied and relaxed in the bed.

Then, in came Mikoto, holding Sasuke's hand. Mikoto seemed just as tired as Itachi and her face was tear-stained. Sasuke didn't seem tired, but he was even paler than usual and his eyes looked blood-shot and swollen from crying. He relinquished his mother's hand and ran to Sakura, hugging her. She hugged him back as everybody in the room sobbed.

Since that day, Sakura, Itachi and Sasuke trained. They trained with the hope of, one day, avenging their fallen kin. With Kakashi as their teacher, they went far... until the third Hokage approached Sakura in private, that is.

"I hear you are from another time," he commented in that raspy voice of his.

She nodded. "Uchiha Sakumo sent me here."

"Ah," he said. "Well, I have heard great things about you from Itachi-san and, because of this, I have come here to give you a choice. Would you like to return to your time, or would you like to stay here?

"Of course I want to stay here," she answered. "I've found more here than I could ever imagine I'd have in my time."

He nodded, not looking at all surprised by the answer. "How is my grandson there?"

"He's great," she answered. "His mother names him Konohamaru and he, um, he looks up to Uzumaki Naruto."

"God save us all," he replied with a smirk, making her giggle. "Well, I'll let you think on it. If you change your mind, the offer will always be up."

"You don't want to know what happens in the future?"

"Oh, I'm sure you've changed things up so we'll never know if it'll stay the same or not."

"Yeah, a lot of things have changed."

"For the better, I hope?"

"You know it."

"Hey, Sakura," greeted Itachi, walking up to the two.

"Alright, I won't keep anymore of your time," Sarutobi told her as he walked off.

"What's going on?" asked Itachi.

"Oh, um, I was just talking to Hokage-sama."

"You're not going back, are you?" he asked. "I'd told Hokage-sama about where you came from, but not with the intention that he'd send you back."

She shook her head in the negative. "I told him I wanted to stay here."

He smirked and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad then."

Then, Sasuke ran up to them, Sakura in tow. "Nee-chan!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her. "Mini Saku-chan and me wanted to come see you guys!"

Sakura hugged him back and looked to the little version of her. She knelt before her and told her, "You're perfect just the way you are, Sakura-chan"

Little Sakura blushed and nodded, mumbling a "thank you".

Sakura took both Itachi's and Sasuke's hands while Little Sakura took Sasuke's hand and they all headed off to the Uchiha compound where Mikoto was waiting with Kakashi.

When they got in, Mikoto said, "Lunch is almost ready, Guys." And Kakashi took Fugaku's place at the head of the table.

"Hey, Sakura," Mikoto said as she set the lunch on the table. "You know, in a few years, I'm going to be expecting some children. The clan isn't going to restore itself, you know."

Sakura giggled while Itachi nearly choked on his ramen. She asked, "Is it alright for a person that's not of the clan to help bear children for the clan?"

"It is now," answered Mikoto with a smirk.

Sakura nodded, still giggling and started eating her ramen. Life was perfect. She had a mother, a step-father figure, a brother, a sister, and a boyfriend, everything she didn't really have in her time. Of course she wouldn't want to go back there!

Now, the only thing she had to wonder about was if her life could get any better.

Itachi kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

_Hell yeah, it just got better! s_he mentally exclaimed as she whispered, "I love you, too."

* * *

A/N: Cute, ne? Well, as I said, this is the last chapter, so, I want to thank everybody that has reviewed the story! This story has been a record-breaker in a lot of aspects in all my stories, too, and I have you to thank for that! I hope to be seeing some of you in some of my later stories, so, for now, Ja ne!

Itachilova... OUT!


End file.
